Well, this one’s going to leave a mark.
Aftyn Behn, the Democratic nominee in Tennessee’s high-stakes special election for the 7th Congressional District, is facing serious backlash after an old podcast clip surfaced where she seemed to take aim not just at her political opponents—but at the very city she’s hoping to represent.
In the 2020 recording, Behn declared, “I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville apparently an ‘it’ city to the rest of the country. But I hate it.”
“I hate the city, I hate the bachelorettes, I hate the pedal taverns, I hate country music, I hate all of the things that make Nashville. I hate it.” – Aftyn Behn
Aftyn Behn is a party pooper
Good find @greg_price11 on X pic.twitter.com/T9EePwBEnu
— GOP Nashville (@gopnashville) November 20, 2025
Yes, she really said that.
The comment, now going viral thanks to a post from journalist Greg Price, is raising eyebrows—and drawing sharp criticism—especially since the district she wants to represent includes a portion of Nashville. While she might be trying to court votes now, the clip sounds a lot like someone who, at the very least, had little patience for what many people love about the city: the music, the culture, and yes, the rowdy pedal taverns and bachelorette parties that keep the downtown economy buzzing.
Behn, now a Democrat state representative, is going up against Republican Matt Van Epps in the Dec. 2 special election to fill the seat left vacant by former House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green. Green easily won the district in 2024 with nearly 60% of the vote, but Democrats are pouring resources into this special race, banking on holiday timing and low Republican turnout. It’s a long shot, but they’re clearly hoping lightning strikes.
In response to the clip, Behn posted a frantic rebuttal on X, denying she ever said she hated Nashville—even though, well, she literally did. “NO, I DO NOT HATE THE CITY I REPRESENT,” she typed in all caps, while insisting she’d cried at the Country Music Hall of Fame “no less than 10 times.”
That’s one way to try to clean it up. But judging by the reaction, not everyone’s buying it.
One Democrat voter told a local Fox affiliate during early voting that he wished he could take his vote back. “Really surprised someone would even talk like that about Nashville,” he said. “I think she should apologize as many times as she can.” That voter, Tim Ford, sounded more than a little disillusioned.
Even beyond the anti-Nashville rant, Behn has made headlines before. In a 2020 op-ed, she described Tennessee’s problem with racism as “wild and untamed,” claiming that “racism is in the air we breathe.” Comments like that might play well on certain corners of the internet, but in a conservative-leaning state like Tennessee, it’s probably not the smartest way to build a winning coalition.
🚨UNCOVERED: In a 2020 podcast, Democrat Aftyn Behn smeared President Trump and his voters as racists, white-supremacists, and bigots.
Behn is running to represent a district in Tennessee that President Trump won by 22 points. pic.twitter.com/hoD6nZNYY6
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 20, 2025
There’s also this:
This is Nashville State Representative Aftyn Behn.
She just posted a 15-minute video of her and a friend stalking the Tennessee Highway Patrol as they carried out official duties—openly admitting they were trying to stall law enforcement from stopping illegal aliens.
Let’s be… pic.twitter.com/NEBYp9j2ic
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) May 20, 2025
Republican leaders didn’t miss the opportunity to pounce. Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson said what many were already thinking: “Behn wants to be elected by a city she hates. The choice couldn’t be more clear — Van Epps stands with Trump and is committed to helping Nashville continue to thrive. Aftyn is not.”
President Trump, who endorsed Van Epps earlier this year, wasn’t subtle either, calling Behn a “left-wing lunatic.”
Behn’s team, for their part, is trying to spin the controversy as a last-ditch Republican smear job—a sign, they say, that the race is closer than anyone expected. Maybe it is. But if that’s the case, it makes her comments even more shocking. When you’re running for federal office in a district with deep cultural roots, calling the heart of that district annoying or unbearable isn’t exactly a winning strategy.
Whether this late-breaking firestorm derails Behn’s chances remains to be seen. But the timing couldn’t be worse—and in politics, what you say always matters. Especially when it sounds like you’re trashing the very place you’re asking to serve.
